


Then We'll Go From There

by ChiaraD



Series: Seal Team Week 2021 [2]
Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: F/M, Memory Loss, SEAL Team (TV) Week 2021, other characters show up briefly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28892460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiaraD/pseuds/ChiaraD
Summary: Jason has had a lot of injuries over the years, including head injuries. Seems the most recent one was one too many. What happens when he forgets everything that's happened since Alana told him she wanted a divorce? Can his new girlfriend Natalie convince him he's forgotten the last year and help him before the situation goes from bad to worse?Seal Team Week 2021 prompt #2: Memory Loss
Relationships: Jason Hayes/Natalie Pierce
Series: Seal Team Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113896
Kudos: 8





	Then We'll Go From There

**Author's Note:**

> As I warned would happen, I'm late. Fell asleep mid-sentence while trying to finish this early Monday morning, then spent the last 2 days with my head throbbing while either trying and failing to sleep even though I was out-of-my-mind exhausted or sleeping to try to make up for not being able to sleep for about 36 hours.
> 
> Sorry. Hope it was at least semi worth waiting for.

The slight shift under him is enough to wake Jason from his sleep and he rolls over, flopping from his side onto his back before he opens his eyes. A few breaths and he sits up, scanning the bare and dreary studio apartment around him. His eyes snap to the woman standing up on the other side of the bed, wearing an old brown t-shirt that’s just big enough on her to cover her tight rear end. Unsure what’s going on, he runs his hand through his hair as he looks down and sees the only thing he’s wearing is a pair of sleep pants. He jumps up, holds out his hands towards her, and backs towards the darkened bathroom behind him. “Um, okay, so I’m sure you’re a great gal and all, but I think this was a mistake.” Running his tongue around in his mouth he senses hints of an alcohol aftertaste. “I’m assuming a _drunken_ mistake.”

“Jason?” The woman’s voice is lightly graveled with sleep and edged with concerned confusion. “What are you talking about? I was just getting up to use the bathroom.” She watches as he steps back into the bathroom and turns on the light. “What are you doing?”

He looks around the small bathroom then cautiously around the mattress that’s sitting on the floor without a bed frame. “Where are my clothes? I need to get dressed and get out of here.”

The woman slowly moves closer, eyeing him as he frantically looks around the room. “Jason? Where do you think you need to be right now?” She peeks a look at his phone, but there had been no alert or call that would require him to run off in the middle of the night. Suddenly he rushes past her and she throws herself out of the way so he doesn’t knock her over. “Jason!” She slaps her hands together sharply. “Are you sleepwalking? Stop and talk to me!”

He stops and looks at her from the other side of the room where he’s found his jeans and a few of his shirts crumpled on the floor. Curiously, he sees behind her a photo of him and his team and his blood starts to run cold. “Where did you get that photo? Why are there so many of my clothes over here?”

“Damn it,” she says under her breath, “I should’ve guessed.” Stepping towards the foot of the bed she slowly takes up space between the built in bookshelves that separate the bedroom from the small living and dining area that makes up the rest of the room, essentially blocking his exit unless he’s willing to bum-rush and shove her out of the way. “Jason, you don’t know who I am, do you?”

Looking at his sleep pants, Jason briefly wonders if he should quickly yank them off to pull on his jeans or attempt to just pull them over. “Lady, I’m sure you’re great and all, but this was a big mistake. I have a wife and kids at home and whatever happened tonight was not a good idea in any sense of the word.” Realizing she’s probably seen him without pants on already, he turns his back to her, bends down, and quickly yanks off the pajamas then sits on the edge of the bed to pull up his jeans as quick as he can.

“Jason, you need to stop and listen to me. I’m your girlfriend, Natalie. You took a blow to the head on your last mission and you’ve been experiencing some mild memory loss.” As an aside she adds, “Looks like it’s now significant memory loss.” When his eyes meet hers again, she holds her hands out to her sides to make it clear she has no intention of letting him past. “This is going to be really hard to hear and you won’t believe me at first, but this is your home. You sold your house to help pay Emma’s college tuition and Mikey’s tuition at prep school.”

The shirt that’s midway over his head slowly drifts down as he stands stock still. “Alana and I haven’t even started divorce paperwork yet, Emma’s a senior in high school, and Mikey is the last kid who would willingly go off to prep school away from his family.” He looks around for the rest of his belongings and finds his phone and wallet on the table at the other side of the bed; as he runs past the crazy woman who thinks she’s his girlfriend he sees her flinch then take a deep breath as she is clearly resolved to block him from leaving.

“Stop and listen to me,” she demands then waits until he looks at her before she continues. “Alana died in a car accident more than a year ago. You considered quitting operating to save your kids the risk of being orphaned, but Emma wouldn’t let you. It’s been hard, but all three of you have been picking up the pieces and moving forward. You have video calls with them at least once a week, visit them whenever you can, and I’m supposed to be meeting them when they visit during winter break.”

Jason shakes his head no vigorously and shoves his wallet into his pocket. “I don’t know what kind of a trip you’re on, lady, but none of that could possibly be true.” He unlocks his phone to pull up Alana’s number, ready to call and make up some ridiculous excuse about how he needs to come see the kids; except, he’s first greeted with a photo of him and this Natalie woman as his phone’s wallpaper. Then when he looks for Alana’s number he finds it listed alongside his fallen brothers’ numbers. “No, this can’t be! I just talked to her yesterday!” The rage begins to boil up inside him and all he wants to do is destroy everything around him and throw this woman out of his way so he can race home to see his family.

Natalie can see the burning anger in his eyes, but she knows he won’t hurt her so she holds fast. “Please sit down, Jason. This is a lot to take in all at once,” she says calmly. “If you want I can call Ray and Naima and ask them to come confirm everything I’ve said, but I can’t let you leave here. With this amount of sudden memory loss there could be something seriously wrong so I can’t let you get behind the wheel.” She watches as he slowly collapses down onto the bed, clutching his phone so tightly she begins to worry he’ll break it. Cautiously she steps closer until she can bend down and gently slide her hands over his until he releases his death grip. “Maybe we should call them and let them know what’s going on, huh?”

He watches the phone slowly get pulled from his hands, the photo of them smiling happily together emerging little by little from between his hands like it’s being recreated line by line in front of him. “Yeah,” is all he can manage to choke out through the crushing sensation in his throat. He doesn’t stop her when she pulls up his contacts, finds Ray’s number, dials, and turns on the speakerphone.

“J? It’s like 2 am, brother,” Ray’s voice is gruff and quiet, clearly having been woken out of a dead sleep. “Are you trying to get Naima pissed off at me?”

Natalie looks at Jason as she says, “Ray, it’s Natalie and I’m here with a confused Jason who could use your support right now. Naima would probably be helpful, too.”

The shift of fabric and the distant click of a light is unmistakable, even over the phone. “What’s going on? You okay, brother?” The slight sounds in the background signal Ray’s waking Naima to listen in.

“Ray,” Jason chokes out as he turns to look at Natalie. If Ray knows who she is by name and voice alone, then maybe she’s telling the truth. He can’t help the tremor of fear in his voice when he says, “I don’t know what’s happening.”

A rush of sounds quickly fills the air until Naima takes over the call. “Jason, can you tell me if you’re having any other symptoms?” A whoosh sound blocks part of her voice as she covers the mic and tells Ray to throw on his clothes and get the car warming. “Jason?”

Natalie puts a gentle hand on Jason’s shoulder when he doesn’t answer. “He doesn’t seem to remember anything since before Alana died.” When she sees his body tense she realizes she probably should’ve tempered her response a little more. “Jason, are there any other symptoms Naima should know about?”

“I’m a little dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseous,” Jason says. “But it’s not that bad.”

In the background on the other end of the phone Ray yells, “I’ve told him how many times: he needs to start taking these head injuries more seriously.”

The phone mutes for a few seconds before Naima gets back on. “Natalie, can I talk to you off speaker for just a moment?”

Jason watches silently as Natalie turns off the speakerphone then stands to walk a few steps away as she listens to Naima. When she hangs up and looks at him, even in only the diffused light spilling out of the bathroom he can see her face is a little more pale. He swallows hard. “What did she say?”

Natalie gives him back his phone as she walks across the room and finds her clothes to start pulling them on, her silence drenching him. Jason looks away, still feeling like it’s not right for him to see her naked, and waits for an answer. Once she’s dressed she rushes over and grabs their shoes from the rug next to the front door, bringing them to the side of the bed so she can hand him his and quickly slip on hers. Only then does she speak. “Naima said I should get you in the car and take you to the medical center in Portsmouth. She thinks it’s best that you get evaluated again, in case there’s something more serious going on and the memory loss is only the first symptom.” She runs to the other side of the room to grab her phone then holds her hand out for him. “They’re going to meet us there as soon as they can get the kids out to the car and make the drive.”

Jason begins to feel like he’s stuck in quicksand, with levels of awful slowly pulling him down into the depths of insanity. How could any of this make an ounce of sense? He looks at the hand reaching out to him and gently grasps it, the lifeline that hopefully will keep him from being swallowed up. He follows her to the door, slips on his jacket when she hands it to him, and lets her lead him out to her car. Soon they’re flying down the intrastate, heading out of Virginia Beach to pass through Norfolk then across the river. Jason puts his seat back and closes his eyes, throwing his arm over his face to shade against the offensive overhead lights that fly past quickly and make him feel like he’s inside an old projector movie running at half speed rather than existing in real life. What should be less than a half hour drive feels like days, but soon they’re pulling off the intrastate and onto city streets. She stops at the security gate, but Jason fumbles with his wallet and she has to help him get it out to hand his military ID to the guard then pulls her own license out of her purse. A quick explanation of the need to rush him into the ER and the guard hastens them through. Moments later they’re pulling up to the ER and Natalie runs inside to grab a wheelchair as Jason slowly tries to sit upright; of course, he doesn’t want to be wheeled in and looking like a decrepit old man rather than the virile and robust SEAL he knows he is, but the increasing symptoms are chopping his bravado off at the knees. When Natalie returns he briefly tries to wave her off, only to quickly relent when she ignores his attempts.

Jason’s rushed into a room, but Natalie’s left in the waiting room with a promise they’ll keep her updated. Thankfully just minutes later Naima is rushing through the doors and pulling favors to find out what’s going on while Ray carries a sleeping RJ and groggy Jameelah inside, each still wearing pajamas and wrapped in soft blankets. Together, Natalie and Ray settle into chairs, Natalie holding RJ as Ray holds Jameelah close as he convinces her to fall back asleep.

An hour later Naima emerges, slightly short of breath. “The bad news is he had a small brain bleed, but the good news is it was minor and seems to have stopped on its own. They’re monitoring him closely, so if he remains stable he’ll just need to rest for a few weeks.” When she doesn’t give the other potential outcome, Natalie’s worry grows.

“If he doesn’t remain stable…” she asks cautiously.

Naima looks at Ray and her sleeping babies before answering, “If it starts bleeding again and the intracranial pressure goes up then they’ll have to do surgery to relieve the pressure and it could be months for him to get better, if ever.”

If it wasn’t for little RJ in her arms, Natalie wonders if she’d be collapsed on the floor right now from the thought of his kids losing their father from such an outcome. She holds the sleeping toddler a little tighter, grateful for the warm contact to keep her tethered to her strength and sanity. “Maybe someone should call Emma and Mikey,” she says.

“I don’t think waking them in the middle of the night is a good idea,” Naima says gently as she squats down in front of Natalie. “Give it a few more hours, when we should know a little more. Every hour he’s stable is a good thing.”

“Eric should be informed right away, though,” Ray says as he leans to the side and pulls out his phone. “The team should know, too.” He calls Blackburn and quickly informs him of what they know right now, then shoots off a mass text to the team letting them know Jason’s in the ER and stable, but the scheduled training through the rest of the week is canceled until they know he’ll be okay.

Hours slowly tick by, bringing a bright new day bursting in through the windows and numerous phone calls. Clay is the first to arrive, insisting on taking the next watch so Ray can take the kids back home. Soon Sonny joins, perturbed that he can’t just go back and check on Jason to see for himself that Bravo 1 is still alive. When Trent arrives he demands that Naima take Natalie to get a bite to eat at the hospital cafeteria while the team waits for news; Natalie needs the brief distraction and Naima’s nursing shift starts soon. Brock and Full Metal are waiting when the women get back, but still no word. Just before 9 am Ray returns, having left Lisa to look after the kids, and delivers Naima’s scrubs. She runs off to change, returning with the doctor to deliver the news: Jason has been admitted to the ICU, but he’s alert and talking so the doctor is ready to allow one person into the room with him at a time during visiting hours.

The throng of large Bravo Team bodies surrounds Natalie as they swarm across the street to the hospital, then upstairs to the ICU where they settle into a new waiting room with the same worries still draped over them until Jason’s nurse comes out to escort Natalie into the room.

A light rap on the door to announce her presence and Natalie once again gets to see Jason’s face, with only a tiny hint of acknowledgement atop a layer of blank stare. “How are you doing, Jason?” She walks up to the side of the bed and places her hand on the bed railing not far from where his hand is laying on the bed, hoping that he’ll make the effort to take her hand in his. “The doctor sounds optimistic.” Jason turns to look at her and for a moment she wonders if he’s already forgotten who she is, again.

“Natalie,” he says quietly as he blinks back a little extra moisture in his eyes, “If you weren’t there for me, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” During the MRI he’d regained what feels like most of his memories of the last year. He takes a breath and then finally takes her hand in his as a little of the worry and stress drips off his face and is replaced by a softness she’s rarely seen. “This is probably a terrible time to say it, but better to say it now than risk not being able to later…” his voice trails off as he takes a steadying breath. “I love you and I want my kids to meet you sooner rather than later. If something happens to me…”

Natalie cuts him off, wanting to revel in the realization that he remembers her again rather than drown in the despair of what could’ve happened. “The outlook is positive so we have to believe you’ll be okay.”

Jason squeezes her hand a little. “If something happens to me I want them to know who you are and how much you mean to me.” He pulls her hand closer until she leans down and he can give her a quick kiss. “I want you to know my kids so you can help them.”

Natalie feels like she’s just been slapped in the face. “Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be okay.” She grabs his far cheek to pull him closer as she presses a few pecking kisses to his other cheek. “We have to believe you’ll be just fine now.”

Peeling her hand from his face, he gently kisses her palm before letting it go. When he looks up at her the tears in his eyes are causing her face to blur. “The doctor just told me,” he pauses and clears his throat, “even if it heals I can never operate again.” A single tear breaks loose and plummets down his cheek. “One decent knock to the head in the future and it could blow open again, killing me almost instantly.”

For a split second Natalie registers the happiness within her that he won’t be putting himself in harm’s way again, only for it to be drowned in guilt when the rest of his statement hits her hard. A moderate car accident, a bar fight, a slip and fall on an icy sidewalk, or just bumping his head getting out of a car could be devastating. She and his kids could lose him for any number of stupid or innocent reasons. Forcing a smile on her face she grasps his hand in both of hers. “We’ll take it one day at a time. This isn’t a death sentence; it’s just a reason to be careful and cognizant that our bodies can only do so much.” She can feel a tightness in her throat, knowing that not operating could be the death of him just as much as a brain bleed. “Once you’re released from the hospital we’ll work out a plan to move forward. I’ll do some research and see if there’s anything that we can do to lessen the risk. Then we’ll go from there.”

Jason’s used to being the strong one, the leader, the one who can find a way out of any hardship so seeing Natalie fighting back her emotions to be strong and confident for him feels like a betrayal. Yet for this brief moment he wants to be the one cared for rather than the one being relied on by everyone to fix every problem. Right this minute he wants to let the emotions exist rather than shoving them down deep. Alana had given up on him ever leaving Bravo, ever sharing what he was going through, and ever having a possible future; he no longer can fix what broke between them, but he has the chance to try to do better with Natalie. He closes his eyes hard, letting another tear slowly drip down his face before looking back at her. “Then we’ll go from there.”

A slight hint of a smile breaches Natalie’s face as he acknowledges her words and lets his guard down with her. Knowing it’s probably killing him to do so she decides to offer up a reprieve. “The boys are all down in the waiting room and probably losing their minds wanting to check in on you.” She lightly squeezes his hand again before loosening her grip. “I can step out so they can come in.”

“Maybe in a few minutes,” he says as he holds her hand tighter, not ready to let it go just yet. He brings his other hand to his chest. “I’m not ready to be strong for them when I give them the news.”


End file.
